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I think from a health perspective coffee/caffeine is fine - maybe even good. I wouldn't be shocked if it were good for you. My reason for wanting to quit caffe

I think from a health perspective coffee/caffeine is fine - maybe even good. I wouldn't be shocked if it were good for you. My reason for wanting to quit caffeine was related to willpower and self-control. I wanted a stronger mind-body connection where I'd readily act on my desires rather than delegating to "I'll do that once I feel properly caffeinated." I was finding that I wasn't doing much with myself after work hours because my energy levels felt low once caffeine wore off and because I wasn't training myself to be comfortable doing things even when I didn't "feel" like doing them. Those behaviors made me uncomfortable with myself, but I never felt like I had the time to address them while working a full-time job. At best, I'd get two day "detoxes" over the weekend and then hop right back on the bean juice Monday morning.

wara23arish 1y ago
I resonate with that way of thinking a lot. fwiw: what you did is pretty impressive and hella brave, respect
throwaway1492 1y ago
Quitting caffeine helped me with anxiety and some mental health stuff. Ymmv
- WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
  My milage does vary. I swore off caffeine for a decade. Then I discovered that stims restore some cognitive function that I had written off. The difference is that my anxiety is more interesting (to me) than distressing. I can sometimes leverage it as a mechanism for change. Granted - this also possible because my anxiety (currently) falls within a range. Turn it up a ½doz notches and I probably won't be mining it for usefulness.
  - shinryuu 1y ago
    Have you tried tea instead? Its effect is markedly different from coffee. THere should be no anxiety, but still contain that cognitive benefit.
    - WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
      I don't drink coffee. I use a drink mix. The anxiety is probably history derived. I'm rolling with it.
    - WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
      After some thought, I will give tea some fresh consideration. Mostly due to age wiping out my resistance to bad-choice consequences.
      - shinryuu 1y ago
        Would recommend green tea in particular. I love the Japanese teas.
lanyard-textile 1y ago
I think I’m okay with scheduling my work around those known lulls, but I’m happy you shared your thoughts and perspective about it. Certainly gives me something to think about.
esperent 1y ago
My take on the health benefits of coffee or tea is that it's probably nothing to do with the caffeine, and a lot to do with antioxidants. Both of these drinks are high in antioxidants, and the typical modern diet is low, so for a lot of people caffeinated drinks are a major source of their antioxidant intake. This shows up statistically as coffee and tea increasing longevity, but on an individual level, just make sure you're getting antioxidants from other parts of your diet instead.

wara23arish 1y ago

I resonate with that way of thinking a lot. fwiw: what you did is pretty impressive and hella brave, respect

throwaway1492 1y ago

Quitting caffeine helped me with anxiety and some mental health stuff. Ymmv

WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
My milage does vary. I swore off caffeine for a decade. Then I discovered that stims restore some cognitive function that I had written off. The difference is that my anxiety is more interesting (to me) than distressing. I can sometimes leverage it as a mechanism for change. Granted - this also possible because my anxiety (currently) falls within a range. Turn it up a ½doz notches and I probably won't be mining it for usefulness.
- shinryuu 1y ago
  Have you tried tea instead? Its effect is markedly different from coffee. THere should be no anxiety, but still contain that cognitive benefit.
  - WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
    I don't drink coffee. I use a drink mix. The anxiety is probably history derived. I'm rolling with it.
  - WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
    After some thought, I will give tea some fresh consideration. Mostly due to age wiping out my resistance to bad-choice consequences.
    - shinryuu 1y ago
      Would recommend green tea in particular. I love the Japanese teas.

lanyard-textile 1y ago

I think I’m okay with scheduling my work around those known lulls, but I’m happy you shared your thoughts and perspective about it. Certainly gives me something to think about.

esperent 1y ago

My take on the health benefits of coffee or tea is that it's probably nothing to do with the caffeine, and a lot to do with antioxidants. Both of these drinks are high in antioxidants, and the typical modern diet is low, so for a lot of people caffeinated drinks are a major source of their antioxidant intake. This shows up statistically as coffee and tea increasing longevity, but on an individual level, just make sure you're getting antioxidants from other parts of your diet instead.